(For Phase One Fridays I highlight Phase One recipes from the past that have been my personal favorites, and this Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Chimichurri Sauce is something that would be great for the holiday weekend. Flat Iron Steak is a bit more expensive now than when I first posted about it in 2007, but it's still a pretty good buy compared to most steak that's suitable for grilling. Enjoy!)

Recently my butcher recommended I try the cut of beef called Flat Iron Steak, telling me he was sure I'd like it. At first I thought this was just another name for flank steak, but I got interested when the butcher told me this cut of meat didn't need to be marinated. I got even more interested when he told me it was perfect for grilling.

The Flat Iron Steak is a long thin piece of meat, sometimes called a top blade steak because it comes from the top of the blade chuck roast. You can see pictures of where the Flat Iron Steak is cut from and how it got the name at Gourmet Sleuth. Under that label on the piece of meat I bought it says "You have just purchased a great new steak! The Flat Iron is cut from sections of larger roasts using a new cutting method. It is so tender, other than the tenderloin, you won't find a more tender steak."

Chimichurri Sauce is a South American condiment for beef that's based on fresh herbs, garlic, and lemon juice or vinegar. You can make it to taste, but we started with a generous amount of chopped cilantro and chopped flat-leaf parsley.

Then Jake chopped up several tablespoons of finely-minced fresh garlic. (Jake has great chopping skills, but you could also use a food processor.)

We mixed the sauce together to let flavors blend while we cooked the meat.

I used my homemade Montreal Steak Seasoning to season the meat, but you can use any steak rub you have on hand. Let the steak come to room temperature while you pre-heat the grill.

Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the meat, and how well done you like it, but I cooked mine not quite 12 minutes for medium rare.

Be sure to let the meat rest for a few minutes before you cut it.

And here's the original photo from this recipe back in 2007, which I never did think showed the recipe off to its full advantage!

Take the steak out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking, rub with steak rub, and let it come to room temperature.

Wash cilantro leaves and parsley leaves and dry with paper towel or spin dry in salad spinner. Finely chop the cilantro, parsley, and garlic, either by hand or in a food processor with steel blade. Put ingredients into a bowl and add lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Aleppo pepper and cumin and stir to combine. Then stir in olive oil until mixture is well blended, and let sit at room temperature at least 15 minutes before serving.

To cook steak, preheat gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat. (You can only hold your hand there for 2-3 seconds at that temperature.) Put steak on grill at an angle. After about 3-4 minutes, or when you see nice grill marks starting, rotate 45 degrees and cook 3-4 minutes more on first side.

Turn steak over and cook on the second side until the meat is done to your liking. (I cooked my steak just under 12 minutes total for medium rare, but cooking time will depend on the heat of your grill, the temperature of the meat, and even the weather. I recommend using an instant-read meat thermometerfor best results on beef. They're widely available or you can follow that link to see an assortment at Amazon.com if you can't find one where you live.)

When meat is done to your liking, remove from grill and let rest for 5 minutes, then cut into thin slices across the grain. Serve hot, with Chimichurri sauce spooned over or on the side.

I chose the South Beach Diet to manage my weight partly so I wouldn't have to count calories, carbs, points, or fat grams, but if you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you. Or if you're a member of Yummly, you can use the Yum button on my site to save the recipe and see the nutritional information there.

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40 comments:

Mmmmm. This looks wonderful and the salsa sounds gorgeous. I have only ever seen a flatiron steak on US menus and definitely not in the supermarkets here in England. I might go and ask a proper butcher (or maybe it goes under a different name here!) as my husband would love to try one :)

Take a look at this month's Saveur for a tutorial on the various steak cuts. I learned a lot.Looks like you grilled your meat perfectly, Kalyn.(Oh, and for another steak "salsa," check out the Chimol at Tea and Cookies.)

Katerina, I think traditional Chimichurri sauce only has parsley, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and hot pepper sauce. The cilantro is a variation. I loved it, and it's been on my "must make" list for a long time now.

Lydia, it was really good.

CC - Maybe I can pick up that magazine in the airport. It's something I definitely don't know much about. BTW, I did see the recipe for Chimol and thought it sounded fantastic. I even included it in a piece I wrote for Blogher about radishes.

Mrs. L, they are all a little different, but I think they could be used in similar ways. I do think the Flat Iron Steak is more tender than the other two. If you read the Wikipedia entries on skirt steak and hanger steak, they both come from the same part of the cow, but Flat Iron Steak comes from the chuck.

Cooking Ninja, it was great. Do try it, and let us know what you think.

Hey, thanks for another link to CT! I feel like I've hit the big time!

Coincidentally, I'm pretty sure I have a flat iron steak from Stan, our local farmer, in the freezer. Two weeks ago I noticed it on his list at the market and asked about it, then ended up buying one. I'm happy to hear it was tender and nice.

I haven't tried chimichurri sauce with cilantro. I make my chimichurri steak marinade with most of the ingredients you use except I use oregano instead of cilantro. I marinate a one to two pound sirloin steak. I find this to be more tender than flank steak. Try this Chimichurri Flank Steak Avacado Sandwich Recipe. The first time my wife and I ate this we felt like we were being served gourmet sandwiches, and we had made them. We liked them so much that we made them at a party for our family and they all liked the recipe too.

I bought the flatiron steak at Smith's Food King (Kroger) in Salt Lake. I've seen it there regularly since then and have cooked it a few more times, always with good results. I never thought about it until now, but I don't think I've seen it at Albertson's or Costco, the other two places I buy meat.

hmm... this looks really delicious. Sad to say "flat iron steak" isn't available here, or maybe it has a different name, I've got to look for this and try to make this recipe. Thanks for sharing. This is my first visit to your blog and I like it.

we have an approximation of this dish regularly at home. I used to follow a recipe for the sauce but now I just make a version with whatever I have to hand. It's always great with steak. I usually use skirt steak for mine. Cheap, quick and easy to grill and always tasty. I hope you feel better soon, Kalyn, sorry this illness is being so persistent.

Hi Anna,Not sure why that is because I've made it many times, always with good results. I wonder if you're starting out with the grill too hot. I wouldn't use heat above medium-high, or even medium if your grill runs hot. I think starting with the meat at room temperature is also important. Hope that helps!

Sam, we were writing comments at the same time! I do think you can make this sauce in a variety of ways. And even though I am such a cilantro lover, this is one sauce where I agree that it would be optional.

I am so tired of being sick; really getting stir-crazy! Thanks for the good wishes.

This is awesome - chimichurri is one of our favorite ways to dress a steak. It's funny - it was one of the first posts we did as well, and I don't think the pictures really showed it off that great either. May be time to do it again.

Flank steak is a great option - but when we do this we usually use skirt steak. If you've never had it, definitely give it a try! I think it's got a slightly meatier flavor that really blends well with the chimichurri.

Just found this gem - love the info on flat-iron steak (I'm still somewhat new to red meat, so this is really helpful!), and also have to add a heartfelt WOW on the photography growth! Truly gorgeous . . . and inspiring.

Thanks Anne! I am a huge fan of flat-iron steak, and not just for the lower price. It's such a delicious cut. And when I have a good recipe like this with a sub-par photo it's such a great feeling to be able to improve it!

Toni, you could cook this on a stove-top grill pan with ridges (highly recommended; I love it for winter) or under the broiler. You'd have to experiment to see how the timing would be different, but I don't think it would take much longer than the grill.

Kayln, I've tried searching, but can't find anything....could you tell me how you care for your wooden cutting boards? I see that Jake chopped garlic on one in this post, plus you have the steak on one....how exactly do you care for yours? Thanks in advance! Heidi

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